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Scam Alert This Time It’s A Florida Boy

By Keith Connors February 17th, 2022

Scam alert. This time it’s a Florida Boy. I bike and or walk the dogs every day. Lots of other walkers, bikers, and of course, kids. In time it becomes like a “club” with the people you pass. We wave to each other, sometimes stop and chat. Always willing to help someone with a flat tire, or directions, whatever.

So, here is a heads up. But, it’s sad. Our kids are far more up on technology than we are and one youngster, believed to be about TWELVE YEARS OLD, took advantage of a woman trying to help him.

Channel 8 reports that Shannon Fraser was walking her dog in Orlando over the weekend when the young boy approached her on a scooter. He told her than his phone had died and he had lost his family.

Fraser says she didn’t hesitate to hand her phone over to help the boy. She didn’t realize she was about to be robbed. The boy had someone on the speaker phone so someone else was clearly in on the plan. Two days later, Fraser got alerts from her bank that her two Venmo transactions had gone through. The first was $1,800. A second was for $2,000! We’re all alert to avoid scams from emails, adult strangers, etc.  But, this time it’s a Florida boy.

Channel 8 says after some investigation it turns out the Venmo account was created just 30 minutes before the chance meeting. The good news is that for now, Venmo has given her the money back. But she can’t withdraw it until they complete their investigation into the matter. Authorities say this probably happens often but many are probably too embarrassed to report it. [Source: Channel 8]

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